First Match - Couldn't shoot but was fun.

[pyzik]

I'm a match director. I wonder if what they meant was "This is our last match of the year and we pull out all the stops. Shepherding a new competitor might crimp our style and this match determines who wins the Greater Northeast Buttfuckery Annual Big Match so nothing can interfere with the chance to win such a prestigious title."

Our procedure if an unknown shooter shows up to compete is to have one of the RO's evaluate their gear for safety (proper holster and such) and then take them over to an unused bay or the safety area (depending on what's available) and run them through the range commands then have them demonstrate safe technique in drawing, loading, reloading, showing clear, etc and maybe have them put a few rounds into a sample target if they have the ammo to spare. During the match the RO knows they are new and will keep an extremely close eye on them for muzzle and trigger discipline (more so than normal). The only reason they wouldn't be allowed to shoot is if their gear is unsafe and unfixable (hasn't happened yet).

We do have one match a year that new shooters are not allowed. That's our low light match where the entire match is done at night with just the shooter's light on. That's not the environment you want an unknown commodity running around shooting and scooting since the RO is less able to monitor shooter safety and behavior.

Example

That would be completely understandable.
I did have appropriate gear (same gear I use for classes).

I am not going to be able to make their practice day today, maybe next week. I'll report back how that goes.

[olstyn]

It just occurred to me that with all of the focus on how you should have been allowed to shoot, nobody has complemented you on your excellent photography. I especially like the one of the guy shooting the M&P with 2 pieces of (.357 SIG?) brass in the air. Wish somebody would get a shot like that of me.

[pyzik]

It just occurred to me that with all of the focus on how you should have been allowed to shoot, nobody has complemented you on your excellent photography. I especially like the one of the guy shooting the M&P with 2 pieces of (.357 SIG?) brass in the air. Wish somebody would get a shot like that of me.

Thanks!

Haha, I hear ya. You'd never know how much shooting I do if you'd look at my facebook/Flickr.
Lots of pics of guns, almost NO pics of me shooting them.

[45dotACP]

Agreed on the awesome photos.

And also agreed that making you sit out a match was a dick move. I'd go there to meet up with some other shooters and ask whereabouts they prefer to shoot competitions. Sometimes there are little known competitions that are put out by groups with poor website design, little publicity and so forth. I personally think those places are worth finding.

[rsa-otc]

Actually on more than one occasion our group has seen someone standing in the background checking the match out. When approached as to whether they wanted to shoot and being told that they didn't have their gear, we all dove into our range bags and came up with what they needed for the day. Most times we didn't change the match fee. Guess what 95% of those shooters became regulars.

[Wendell]

It seems to me that we shouldn't just jump to conclusions about the match officials' motives. There are a lot of different possibilities that even the critics might accept as valid. And for anyone to suggest that the OP should respond by boycotting the club is even more retarded.

[Luke]

This is a internet forum, who the hell told you you could bring common sense and logic into this??

[Jim Watson]

Sounds kind of petty to me, and the pictures don't show these geniuses doing anything I would not expect a beginner to attempt.
But since they are your only local resource, make nice and show up for the first match of 2015 on your safest behavior.

We picked up a new shooter at our last IDPA match of the year, and an onlooker was encouraged enough to see a beginner having a good time, that we will gain another for the first match of next year. Ladies, at that.